The Pride Of Camorra
by SwissGem96
Summary: Doing the right thing for her, didn't mean that it was the right thing for her family,for them,for him.They all wanted Ara to the right thing.But doing the right thing was difficult.An inactive family troubled by debts,and they thought she had pride.3YL Set after everything.OCx?
1. Prolouge

**A/N: Well, hope you like it :) I finally wrote the first chapter and the plots roughly in my mind so…Enjoy xD**

**And nothing is actually revealed in this chapter…The later chapters will reveal the plot :3**

* * *

She gripped the handle of the scythe, panting heavily, as she finally swung it. Her stomach ached with hunger and pain, making it even difficult to do. With the weight of it, it was no surprise, when it slipped from her fingers, slamming against the closest target.

It shattered into pieces, as she messily tucked her black strands of hair, behind her ear.

"Ara…Well, that was tolerable…I can't say that I'm pleased but it wasn't horrible as normal either…You can go have your dinner now…" said the woman, poised impatiently on the arm chair. She stared at her nails, before glancing at her wrist watch.

The time now read twelve o' clock.

"Yes, mother…"She said curtly nodding, before retreating towards the kitchen. As soon as she left the training room, she leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

She sloppily wiped the sweat beading on her forehead, with the end of her t-shirt. She could even smell how repulsive she was.

The stink wasn't going anywhere soon.

She headed towards the kitchen, indifferently placing the leftovers in the microwave.

"Shit…"She muttered under her breath, realizing she had homework to do. She had maths homework to do. It wasn't her strongest subject anyway, well, time to scribble nonsense.

Ara held the spoon with her left hand, feeding herself, as she held her pen with the right, scribbling random answers.

She just wanted it to be over.

* * *

Ara stared at the board, eyes wide open, in a futile attempt not to blink. Blinking only makes a person sleepier.

The teacher's voice droned on, and it wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep. Hana rolled her eyes. She was sleeping in class, again.

She nudged the black haired female subtly, earning a few grunts.

"I'm awake…awake…almost…"Ara replied, frantically rubbing her eyes, earning countless looks from the girls seated next to her.

"Jeez, Ara…First day of the new semester and you still can't stay awake…"She said, shaking her head in pity. Ara sheepishly smiled, before adding a yawn for effect.

"Ara-chan? I see you're pretty comfortable with your seating-"

"Yes Sir, I am…" She said cheekily, with a hint of sarcasm. He glared at her, pausing slightly before continuing.

"Well, enjoy it while you can then…The proper seating arrangements will be given tomorrow which will be your permanent places…No protests whatsoever…"

* * *

Ara gently closed the locker door, after taking out all her books. Hugging the books to her chest, she headed towards the next corridor.

They stared at her.

She was unbelievably proud, just because she was from a rich family didn't mean she had the right to think that she was better than everyone else.

She didn't even try to make any friends, maybe because she believed that she was too good for them. They heard Hana Kurokawa was her friend, but that also only during class time.

Afterwards, Ara would always ditch her, without fail. The way she walked, was as if she owned the world.

She didn't even talk to Takeshi-kun, Hayato-kun, and Tsuna-kun. They didn't want to admit it, but Tsuna had grown attractive past the years.

At the age of seventeen, he had this sense of maturity and not to mention unbelievably good looks, that couldn't be ignored no matter how hard they tried. He had his own fan club, as soon as he grew taller which was since he turned sixteen.

She didn't even know them, in the first place, so how could she even feel pride.

They talked to them, she didn't. And for that they were proud.

The day passed by, nothing interesting happened, nothing to get involved in. Ara sighed under her breath, mostly in boredom, as she retreated to her locker, through the swarming crowd.

Break time was really the place, when everything set loose.

Ara absentmindedly, bumped against the closest person-causing him to drop all of his books. He had to be a complete klutz to drop stuff on impact.

She wasn't that heavy and strong either.

She stared at him, as he quickly scrambled all his books, almost as if he was used to it.

"Tsuna..."She said slowly, smiling under her breath, meeting the warm, confused gaze of the brown haired male.

"Ara…Sorry…"He replied, slowly, straightening himself. He innocently smiled under his breath, holding the books with a tighter hold.

"We are finally in the same class this year…I think the last time I was in your class was in Grade 1…And now we are in high school…"She said, smiling at him cheekily.

He chuckled, nodding lightly. Growing up together was the sole reason as to why he could treat her as an equal.

Growing up together meaning same school, occasionally same class, and she was just another class mate, and nothing else.

He hardly knew anything about her, other than her name and also she was a nice person to talk to.

"Hana…"She said, leaving the boy stranded as she headed towards her friend. Tsuna ran his fingers through his hair, before heading to his class.

"Judaime! There are you are…Why did you take so long?" asked Gokudera, propping up next to his shoulders, blinking his eyes in enthusiasm.

Yamamoto let out a laugh, at the time he thought was best.

"It was nothing, Gokudera…Bumped onto Ara on the way here, that's all-"

"She knocked you down?!...How dare she? How does she look like and who is she, tenth?" He said, quickly, pulling out two sticks of dynamite.

Yamamoto laughed again, absolutely doing nothing.

"Hie-hi!...Put that away, Gokudera-kun…"He said, gently restraining the bombers hand. He immediately shoved them back into his pocket.

"You're right, Judaime…I'll blast her when no one's around…"He said triumphantly, slowly sinking down onto his chair.

"Ara…I know her…I'll introduce you, Gokudera…She was in Year one with me…She was nice, then…Her name is Ara Camorra …"said Yamamoto chirpily, at the same time munching down the food.

Gokudera grumbled under his breath, frustrated at the lack of knowledge he had, compared to the baseball freak on the student body.

Tsuna groaned, burying his face in his palms out of frustration.

Wait…What Camorra?

Gokudera stared at the table, in front of him. Where had he heard that name before…Camorra?

High School was going to be 'fun'. He could tell.


	2. Insecure

**A/N: Hope you like the second chapter...Should be enough for you all to get a rough idea...:D...Hope you like this story and please review :3**

* * *

The moonlight shone in from the window, dimly illuminating his quaint room.

Tsuna stared blankly, at the book sprawled out in front of him.

He had to complete the dreaded homework. It wasn't maths, neither was it science. It was something far worse.

It was Mafia.

"Concentrate No-Good Tsuna…"said Reborn nonchalantly, shoving the teenager, causing him to smash face front on the book.

He yelped, in a very girlish manner, earning another smack from Reborn for being such a pussy.

"Reborn! You're not one anymore…You're four…Your punches hurt more than usual…"whined Tsuna, rubbing the back of his head, fake sobbing along with it.

Reborn stared blankly at him, before hitting him again, just for saying that.

"Read Tsuna-"

He abruptly stopped, noticing the serious expression etched on his face. It wasn't long, before he screamed.

"Hie-hi! Camorra is a mafia name?!"

"Yes, it dated back to the 16th century…Why?"

"Can't be…Yeah…Must be the same last name…" muttered Tsuna, under his breath, trying to convince himself that everything was going to be okay.

"Their daughter goes to your school-"

"Huh?! Why didn't you tell me, Reborn-"His words were cut off abruptly, when he earned another smack to his head.

"There was no need to tell you…The family is in an alliance with the Vongola…Top 40 actually….Currently the famiglia is inactive…"said Reborn, sitting nonchalantly on his shoulder.

Tsuna still couldn't stop the stutter in his voice.

Upon noticing this, Reborn calmly stated, "They are friends with Dino as well…He trusts them…"

"Dino-san? He trusts them?" He said softly, in a daze.

* * *

The chandelier dimly illuminated the room, creating almost a gloomy atmosphere for dinner.

Forking the food, she blankly stared at her plate. Her fork clinked, against the porcelain plate, a countless number of times.

Frankly, it was annoying.

"Ara…Stop that…I raised you better than this…"She said, politely even though, her face said otherwise. Ara stopped, still facing the plate.

The ringing of the telephone broke the awkward silence. The maid scurried in, handing over the phone to her first.

"Adriana Camorra…Oh darling…How are you?...Ara is in good health-" Her words trailed off, when she held the phone, motioning for Ara to take it.

A smile instantly formed on her face.

"Big brother?...How are you?"

He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He chuckled, before replying, "So Ara, still single?"

"Haha…Very funny…But actually yeah…How about you, still stupid?"She said sweetly, but coated heavily with sarcasm.

Ruffling his brown locks sheepishly, he laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah…I'm fine…I like my class actually, better than last year"

"Is the Vongola Decimo in your class?"

"Yeah…Along with two of his guardians…Rain and Storm…"Ara said slowly, focusing her gaze on her mother. Adriana paused slightly, before lifting the wine glass to her lips.

"How is he? Doing alright…His big brother wants to know everything…"

She chuckled under her breath, before replying, "Dino?...No wonder…Tell him that the year hasn't even started yet and that he barely knows me…."

She meant it playfully, but regretted it instantly, noticing the glint in her mother's eye.

"Umm…I've got to go-"

"Why?"

"Mom…"

"Oh…I call you tomorrow then…"

Ara placed the phone, on the table.

"Ara…You told me that you were good friends with him-"

"Mother I am…I was just joking…"She stammered, fiddling with her fingers.

"You certainly did not sound like you were jesting…Ara…Are you friends with him, or not?" She said, slowly, tapping her fingers impatiently on the table.

"No…"

Adriana snapped. Her patience had reached its peak. She stood up abruptly, staring proudly at her daughter.

"What is the status of our famiglia?"

"…Inactive…"

"Exactly!…It's a miracle that they agreed to be allianced with us this long…We can't help them…We don't have the forces to help them if they ask us…The only thing we can actually supply is food…food and only food!…which is a disgrace to one of the top forty families…Disgrace to us!…You have to get on his good side, the only thing you're actually useful for!…You can't fight as well as your brother!…You aren't that attractive like your brother!...You don't even have the-"

Her words trailed off, noticing the tears streaming down Ara's face. She pushed back the chair, sloppily, running towards her room.

"Ara…I'm sorry…I-"

Adriana let out a sigh in exasperation, as she sat down regretfully on the dining chair. She went too far this time.

Ara slammed shut her door, as she slumped against it, finally breaking down.

Mother was right, she was nothing. The tears streamed endlessly, down her face, some were already dried, sticking unpleasantly on her face.

She sniffled; even her nose was getting blocked. One of the reasons as to why she refused to cry was because of this.

But she can fight. She can right?

* * *

She groggily rubbed her eyes, absentmindedly closing her locker. Yawning, she headed towards the classroom.

Not watching where she was going, she stumbled onto the first person in front of her.

"Oi..Woman…Watch where you're going-"

"Sorry…It was my fault…" She said slowly, smiling at the silver haired male. He scoffed under his breath, waving his hand in dismissal.

She rolled her eyes.

"Why aren't you going into class?"She asked, slowly, peering at the tall male in front of her.

"Tch…Can't you see, woman? That idiot's giving us our new places…If he doesn't put me next to the Tenth I'll-"He rambled indifferently, occasionally bringing out the sparkles in his eye.

"Gokudera Hayato…Next to Sawada Tsunayoshi -"

"Yes!"He cried out triumphantly, as he scurried happily to his desk. Tsuna looked away, in embarrassment, which was the only thing he could when he had wide-eyed puppy clinging onto his arm.

"Ara Camorra…Next to him…"He said slowly. Ara nodded, taking her seat next to Gokudera. He tore his gaze away from Tsuna, to glare at her.

She was the girl who bumped into the tenth, the other day.

"She's the one, isn't she tenth? Do you want me to blow her up afterschool?" He said enthusiastically, despite his ruthless thoughts.

"No need, Gokudera-kun…It was an accident-"

"Tenth…Camorra is-"

"Shh…Be quiet, Gokudera-kun…Yeah, she is…Reborn told me-"

"Reborn-san told you?!"He asked, in a fierce whisper.

"Yeah…Shh…Gokudera-kun…They are in an alliance with us, plus Dino-san trusts them…Good enough for me…"He said, in a hushed whisper, instinctively glancing at her.

"Yeah, but remember what happened with the Shimon Family…We better keep our guard up-"

"Yeah, but…she was in our school from Grade 1…If her family wanted to do something, shouldn't they already have attacked?"

"Hmm…You're right. Tenth but-"

Tsuna sighed under his breath. Gokudera was quite worried.

"Gokudera-kun…Fine…Do what you want but don't get into trouble, okay?" He said smiling, earning a breathless smile from the silver haired male.

The teacher clapped, hoping to garner the attention, of the high school students.

"You have been given these places for a reason…From now on… every group project would be done according to these seating arrangements…Your project grades will have a great impact on your final grade, so no playing around, anymore…"

For some odd reason, Gokudera's eyes lit up, as soon as the teacher had mentioned the words 'group project'.

He really couldn't help himself; he could go to the Tenth's house every day, for the foreseeable future, most importantly without the baseball freak.

He grinned under his breath, mentally screaming at his inner victory. He was definitely going to be Tsuna's right hand man.

But, then he remembered, she was going to be there too.

He snapped his gaze at her, only to realize that she had fallen asleep. He rolled his eyes. Well, this was hopeless.

"Tch…Woman…"He said, placing his hand on her shoulder, attempting to wake her up. He shook her, lightly causing her to stir, slightly in her sleep.

"I'm up…up…"She said, quickly, straightening herself. She slightly ruffled her fringe, tucking the loose strands behind her ear.

She held her ponytail, bringing it to the front, causing it to cascade on her shoulder.

"Woman…Did you even hear what he said?"

"Yeah…Group projects, "She said, weakly smiling, still dazed from her sleep.

"Good…Now you can go find your own group...The tenth and I are going to be in one group, without any interference from the likes of you…"He whispered harshly, inching closer towards her.

She scoffed under her breath.

"Well, that's rude…Here I thought this was going to be a good year…"She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him.

A growl slipped past his lips, as he gritted his teeth in annoyance. Pursing her lips, she turned away from his heavy glare.

_He had attitude._

_She had attitude._

"Tenth…She's evil…I tell you…."Gokudera muttered to Tsuna, keeping a considerable distance between her.

"Gokudera-kun…She didn't do anything-"

"She was being a big shot-"

"Gokudera…Try to be nice to her...She's our partner now…I can't afford to fail…Reborn will kill me again…and again and again…He's getting stronger and his punches hurt…Please Gokudera-kun…"pleaded Tsuna, his thoughts filled with dread, of what Reborn would do to him.

He remembered what happened last year. It was horrible…horrible…horrible…He still couldn't forget what happened on that fateful day when he had failed first year.

"Please Gokudera-kun…Please..."He begged, desperately.

"Tch…Fine Tenth…But only for you…" He said loyally-and loudly, his frown now replaced with an undying grin. Ara chuckled under her breath. She instantly regretted it, receiving a murderous death glare from the silver haired male.

She cleared her throat, cheekily turning away from him.

He scoffed under his breath, before turning his attention to the board.

"Did you understand?"He asked, finally facing the students.

Everyone nodded, indifferently. Gokudera quickly skimmed the textbook, having a rough idea as to which topic he was teaching.

Smirking under his breath, he leaned back confidently on his chair.

"Is that how you pay attention in class?"She asked curiously, focusing her gaze on his textbook.

"Che…It's easy…Everything's in the textbook…Am I right, Tenth-"

His words trailed off, catching a glimpse of Tsuna hurriedly taking down notes. She shook her head lightly, before concentrating on the lesson.

"Ha…You're actually listening to this old fart…"

"Haha…Yeah…if I listen I can get it…"She said, laughing, her gaze wandering to him.

* * *

"Tsuna…It's a shame we're not in the same group…"said Yamamoto, plopping the sushi roll into his mouth. Gokudera couldn't stop the grin that was forming on his face.

"Don't worry…I'll look after the Tenth…"He said maliciously, patting Yamamoto's shoulder comfortingly.

"It's okay, Yamamoto…At least we are in the same class…We can still do homework together…Gokudera-kun will teach us…"He said, smiling, causing Gokudera to do a double take.

"B-but Tenth-"

"Haha…You're right, Tsuna…"said Yamamoto, in lifted spirits. Crossing his arms over his chest, Gokudera grumbled stubbornly, under his breath.

Tsuna smiled, genuinely. He glanced at Kyoko, from the corner of his eye. She was beautifully, gracefully having her lunch.

He sighed under his breath. He still couldn't get over her. How long has it been now, four…five years? Her hair had grown longer, as well.

She was still, so beautiful.

"Kyoko…That perverts still staring at you…"whispered Hana to Kyoko, earning a snicker from Ara.

"Hana…He's nice-"

"Not to mention attractive…Admit it Kyoko, hasn't he grown in four years?" said Ara, giggling lightly, under her breath.

"I suppose…Tsuna-kun has grown taller…"She said, smiling, as she glanced at the brown haired male. Ara stared blankly at the oblivious girl.

Taller…Is that all she can say?

"Meh…He still looks like a monkey to me…"Hana said, indifferently, as she swallowed her food. Ara chuckled.

Tsuna turned away, flustered, cursing himself for being stupid enough to actually get caught staring. Gokudera and Yamamoto noticed this too.

The girls couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

"Bye Hana…Kyoko…"She said, smiling, as she waved goodbye. Sighing under her breath, she plopped against the stray bench.

"Woman…Oi!"

Her head jerked towards the harsh tone, of her caller.

"Gokudera?"

"You laughed at the tenth, didn't you? You probably told some shit about him to Kyoko…No one laughs at the tenth…"He snapped, bringing out his dynamites, out of nowhere.

She blinked her eyes, at him, as she abruptly stood up.

"I knew you were up to something…"He said, throwing the first dynamite at her. She yelped in surprise, as she jumped to the side, dodging the attack.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She yelled at him, storming towards him. He stepped backwards, throwing dynamite in her direction, simultaneously.

She ducked, as she somersaulted to the side. Holding her breath, she crouched forward through the smoke.

Finally clearing the smoke, she exhaled, taking another deep breath. She ran towards him, at the same time evading the bombs thrown at her.

She smirked lightly, waving cheekily at him. His lips involuntarily released a growl. He wasn't going to hold back.

"Are you seriously going to blow me up just because you think I poisoned your bosses' potential girlfriend?"

"Shut up, woman!"

"Tsk…Don't shout so loud…What if Hibari-san hears?"She said sweetly. His eye twitched in annoyance.

"Speaking of Tsuna…Where is he?"

"He went to the bathroom but that's none of your damn business, woman!...You're from the Camorra family aren't you? What do you want with the Tenth?"

"Oh…So that's what this is about…You just wanted to pick a fight with me…Sad to tell you Gokudera…Seems like you haven't fully done your research…We are freaking allianced with the Vongola-"

"Tch…That's what the Shimon said before they attacked-"

"So the rumours were true…"She said, impressed.

He scoffed at her.

"But they are friends now-"

"It was a misunderstanding woman…But in your case I can't be sure…Your family is inactive…It has been for almost five years now…There has to be something going on…Vongola wouldn't be allianced with an inactive family for that long…"He said slowly, narrowing his eyes at her.

Her face dropped, slightly.

"Fine…Don't trust me…"She said, slowly. She somersaulted to the side, towards her fallen side bag. Pulling out an expandable rod, she quickly stood in front of him.

She swished the rod, to the side, lengthening its height. He stared at her, in surprise.

"Don't look so surprised…My real weapons too heavy move around…It can only be used in actual combat…I wasn't expecting a battle here…"She said, slowly, gripping the handle of the rod.

"Gokudera-kun!" said Tsuna, running towards the active zone as fast as his legs could take him.

"Haha...The baseball team said they heard fireworks…I knew it must be you, Gokudera…" said Yamamoto, as he casually jogged towards them, interrupting the heated glares.

Yamamoto stood beside Tsuna, staring in confusion at the supposed battle.

"Double bomb!" yelled Gokudera, throwing them in front of her. Gripping the handle with one hand, she swung it, successfully battering the bombs over the school wall.

Tsuna stared at her, in surprise, while Yamamoto appreciatively chuckled.

He stepped backward, taken aback by her defense. Every bomb that he threw, she sparred it away, taking caution not to fling it towards Tsuna's side.

"Gokudera…"cried out Tsuna, pleading with him to stop. He didn't say it loud, so, Gokudera didn't find any reason to stop.

"Tch…Woman…You think you're pretty good but you're not…I won't forgive you for laughing at the Tenth…"

Tsuna dead panned.

"Woman…You're weak and pathetic…To think if you can beat me…I will always protect the Tenth…"

Ara bit her lower lip, the hold on the rod loosening. She abruptly, focused her gaze on the ground. Tsuna stared at her, in concern. He focused his gaze on her, not on Gokudera.

Something was wrong.

_You can do it…You can do it…_

She inhaled lightly, as she lifted her gaze towards the silver haired male.

Those words echoed in her head.

_Weak…_

_Pathetic…_

Closing her eyes, she gripped the handle tightly.

_Weak…_

_Pathetic…_

_You have to get on his good side, the only thing you're actually useful for!…You can't fight as well as your brother!…You aren't that attractive like your brother!...You don't even have the-_

Her thoughts were cut off, when she was hit by the incoming dynamite. She lifted the rod, unsurely, swinging it hopelessly, attempting to shield some of the damage.

She fell to the side.

The rod clattered against the floor.

"No-good Tsuna…Go and help her…"said Reborn, clad in a small bush. Tsuna yelped in fear. Regaining his senses, he rushed towards the fallen girl.

"Ara…Are you alright?-"

"I'm fine…"She said quickly, attempting to stand up. She winced in pain, as she limped finally steadying herself.

She adjusted her uniform, trying to unsuccessfully cover the tatters that were formed.

"Gokudera-kun-"

"Sorry Tenth…I caused you so much of trouble…It's just…She laughed at you…"Gokudera stuttered, trying to save himself.

"Gokudera…You were going to beat up a girl for that?...You need to drink more milk Gokudera…Girls love to laugh at everything…"said Yamamoto cheerfully, slapping Gokudera's shoulder.

"Tch…No big deal…Take her to Shamal, so…"muttered Gokudera, indifferently under his breath, focusing his gaze on Ara and how much her injuries were worrying the Tenth.

"No…I'll go home and treat it…My mom will be here any moment…I can't afford to-"

"But Ara-chan…Your leg is hurt pretty badly…Shamal can help…" offered Tsuna, comfortingly staring at her black eyes.

The corner of her lips tucked into a light smile.

"No…It is fine…I don't want to be a bother…My mom will kill me if she doesn't find me by the time she's here…"

Gokudera rolled his eyes at her statement.

"I have a spare bandage…"said Reborn, bringing out his first aid kit.

She smiled, again.

He nonchalantly found the bandage roll. He threw it at Gokudera, causing him to accidently catch it.

"Gokudera…Bandage her leg, now…"

"But Reborn-san…Tch…Fine…"He said, grumbling as he crouched next to her leg. She pursed her lips, in anger, as she turned away from him.

Holding her leg, he attempted to tie the finishing knot to the bandage.

"Oww!…You bitch! Not so tight…"She snapped at him, shaking her leg, causing the sliver haired male to topple backward due to lack of balance.

"Why you, bitch…I'm trying to help you-"

"Oh yeah…After fucking wounding me in the first place…How ironic…" She snapped at him sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him.

He rolled his eyes, at her.

Reborn drifted his gaze, from Ara to Gokudera, from Gokudera to Ara.

"My car's here…See you, guys…Bye…" She said, smiling, as she waved casually at them. She limped towards her car, oblivious to the confused stares they were giving her.

She was so nice…yet so mean at the same time?

She sighed under her breath, as she slid into the car.

"What happened to your leg?"

One question from her mother meant business.

"I fell trying to save this kid from the slide…I twisted my ankle-"

"Oh really? Why is your right leg bleeding then?"

Ara instinctively, glanced down at his right leg. Fuck, it was bleeding. Now that she saw the blood, it hurt as fuck.

"Drive to the hospital…"Adriana Camorra said nonchalantly, focusing her gaze on the road. Ara bit her lower lip, trying to hold in the pain.

"You noticed too…Tsuna…That girl stopped fighting completely…She was defenseless when Gokudera threw that last bomb…" said Reborn, now perched on top of Yamamoto's shoulder.

"Wow…You're growing heavier, Reborn…"said Yamamoto randomly, grinning along with his statement. Reborn lowered his fedora.

Yamamoto Takeshi just called him fat.

"I did, Reborn…She fought very well…Not once did she attempt to attack Gokudera…All she did was defend…" Tsuna said, slowly.

Gokudera quirked his ears, in interest.

The tenth was right; she didn't do anything useful, except defend.

"Ara-chan's in the mafia?" asked Yamamoto, rubbing the back of his head. Tsuna nodded, slightly.

"…I felt as if she was questioning herself-"

"She was…" said Reborn, nonchalantly.

"Reborn-san…What you're saying is that the girl lacks confidence?" asked Gokudera roughly, recalling how odd her actions were.

"Her famiglia has been inactive for quite some time…But the Ninth insisted on keeping the alliance, even though many others protested…" stated Reborn, nonchalantly.

"I don't think confidence, Gokudera…She was pretty let's say…mean to you…" Tsuna said, sheepishly. The Tenth agreed with him. The sparkles in his eyes grew, abundantly.

"But it was your fault in the first place…She was nice to you in class…"

Gokudera's eyes widened in shock. His hopes and dreams, just crumbled and crushed into to dust.

"B-but Tenth…"He spluttered incoherently.

Tsuna closed his eyes, recalling how she lost it right after Gokudera called her weak and pathetic.

"She's insecure…"said Tsuna slowly, lifting his warm gaze towards them. Reborn nodded, approvingly.

She was insecure.


	3. Doubt

**A/N: Well hope you like it :) I will update soon…I'm sleepy right now to finish the other chapter…Enjoy…Please review :3**

* * *

Gokudera grumbled under his breath, as he messily scribbled down the notes. Why did he have to do this?

"B-but Tenth…"

"Gokudera…These are important…It's our first group project and she doesn't even know the topic…Please, we can't afford to fail…"whispered Tsuna, softly.

"You're right, Tenth…But I can't believe she didn't come to school just because she strained her leg…Such a girl…Isn't that right, tenth?"He said, grinning, contradicting with his comment.

Tsuna stared blankly at him.

* * *

"Ara-chan…How did it happen?" asked Kyoko, in concern, staring at the cast on the black haired female.

"My mom overreacted…"She mumbled under her breath, as she lifted the glass to her lips. Kyoko thoughtfully smiled.

That was it? No questioning as to why she overreacted in the first place?

Tsuna cleared his throat, as he entered the room. He smiled at Kyoko, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, when she smiled back.

Gokudera grunted under his breath, as he followed Tsuna's stride.

"Sorry…" Tsuna said sheepishly, standing beside her bed. She smiled lightly, as she shook her head slowly.

"I'll be going then, Ara-chan…"

"Okay…Thanks for visiting, Kyoko-chan…"

"Okay…Now the real reason as to why we came here…Here are the notes, woman…"interrupted Gokudera, dropping the notes on her lap.

She rolled her eyes, as she stared at the notes.

"What does this even say?" She asked in confusion, gazing at the messily taken down notes.

He scoffed under his breath, as he inched closer towards her. Tsuna glanced around for a chair, after finding it, he sat down.

"Idiot…Cant you read?-"

"No…Not really…You can't even write in a straight line…"

He rolled his eyes, snatching the notes away from her.

"Here…A group must produce one experiment via a flipchart which can be used to…to…."

His words wavered. He squinted his eyes, trying to read the last line.

She giggled, turning away from him.

"Tch…Screw this…"He said, crushing the paper, letting it drop nonchalantly against the floor.

"Which can be used to talk the shit about the experiment…There Tenth I said it…"

"Ah talk shit…Really…Okay let's talk shit about the experiment…"She said sarcastically, earning a glare from him accompanied by a clenched fist.

"Joke…Joke...Where are we supposed to get the equipment and stuff?"She asked, slowly, focusing her gaze on him.

"Ara-chan…We are supposed to do the experiment during class time, so I'm pretty sure the school will provide everything…But can you?"said Tsuna, slowly.

"Yeah I get discharged today…My mom went overboard, that's it…"She muttered under her breath, earning a snicker from Gokudera.

She rolled her eyes at his immaturity.

* * *

"Mother…Is Ara at home?" He said, softly into the receiver. She pursed her lips, tapping her fingers on the table.

"Arlo…She's…not at home right now…And you aren't supposed to be calling at this hour…" She replied, sternly.

"Hahaha…It's okay, mother…I just wanted to talk to my sister…"He said chuckling, leaning against the bed frame.

She smirked against the phone.

"You usually call during dinner…What made you call her at this time? You know you shouldn't strain yourself-"

"I'm fine, mother…I really am…I just wanted to let her know that she wouldn't worry…Okay…I'll call later then...I have more paperwork to sign…"

"Arlo Camorra…I told you… You can't do work in that situation…"She snapped at him, harshly, speaking loudly into the receiver.

He only laughed.

"I'm fine…Mother…Here…Cut Ara some slack okay…She's only seventeen…I'm off then…"He said, slowly, ending the phone call, before she could protest.

His green, grave, gaze settled on the stray paperwork.

* * *

Tsuna stared at the notes, trailing it with his finger, focusing on the specific solution.

"Yeah…It says…25 cm of HCL…"He said unsurely, reading it. Gokudera stood nonchalantly beside them, nodding appraisingly at him.

Ara nodded, filling the test tube.

"Tch…This is such an easy experiment-"

"Obviously…It's still the beginning of the-"

"That's not what I meant…This is too easy for the Tenth…"

Tsuna chuckled under his breath. He missed his bickering.

"Yo Tsuna…."shouted Yamamoto, from the other end of the classroom. He heartily waved at him. Tsuna smiled at him, waving back.

He stared at them, in shock.

He had Hana in his group, but most importantly, Kyoko. She looked so professional, in that lab coat. The goggles she wore made her look so cute.

He immediately looked away, ignoring the heat that was spreading to his face. He thought his crush for her, had died down, for a while.

They were actually friends. He could actually talk to her, without feeling all awkward.

But the thing is, she always took him by surprise. Just in time, she was waving at him. He sheepishly smiled, waving back.

"Tsuna…Did you write down what I said…" said Ara, still focusing her gaze on the beaker. Gokudera leaned against the table, next to her, focusing his gaze on the beaker as well.

"Seems like you got it right…The colour changed from colourless to red right…"questioned Gokudera, lifting his gaze towards her.

"Yeah…And the mass should increase as well, along with the colour change right…"

"Hn…That's right…"He said, slowly.

"Tenth!"

"Ah..Yeah…I wrote it…Colour change to red…"He said quickly, scribbling it down messily. Ara turned towards him. Gokudera nonchalantly, shoved his hands into his pocket.

"When's the deadline?"She asked, plopping onto a chair next to him. Gokudera muttered under his breath, before taking the seat next to her.

"Tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow?!"She exclaimed, causing Gokudera to instinctively hold his ear.

"Sorry day after tomorrow…"Tsuna said, sheepishly.

She sighed under her breath, before turning towards him.

"So…Your house or his house?"She asked, glancing at the both of them.

"Why not yours, woman?!"

"Mom…She might let you come in but…"She said, instinctively lowering her gaze to the ground.

"Mine then…" said Tsuna, good naturedly, placing his hand on her shoulder. Gokudera smirked under his breath, before shaking his head lightly.

* * *

The phone rang once again. Adriana scoffed, as she picked up the phone.

"Mother…She still didn't come home?" Arlo muttered, softly, lifting his gaze towards his friend.

"She had afterschool today…She's with the Decimo...A chemistry project…Arlo, what's wrong?"She said, slowly.

"Decimo? It's fine then…"He said, cutting the line again.

Dino sighed under his breath, running his fingers through his blonde locks. He stared, sympathetically, at Arlo, his friend, sprawled out on the white blanketed bed.

"She's with the Vongola Decimo-"

"Decimo? Why didn't you tell me? I'll get her on the phone…."Dino said, chuckling out of relief. He ran out of the room, only to trip effortlessly over his own feet.

Arlo smiled under his breath, staring at the blond man sprawled across the floor.

"Dino…Get up…You know I can't be there to help you up anymore…"He said, smirking, as Dino slowly stood up, crest fallen at what he just said.

Dino turned his grave expression towards him; a ghost smile flickered over his lips.

"Don't say that, Arlo…You're perfectly fine…You still bully me endlessly…So you're okay…" said Dino, rubbing the back of his head.

Arlo bitterly smiled, staring back at him. Dino quickly looked away, knowing that he shouldn't let himself be sentimental, especially in front of him.

Nothing was going to happen to Arlo. He had too many people behind him, people he couldn't leave behind.

* * *

Ara sat cross-legged on the floor, cutting the pictures out of the paper. Tsuna relied on his handwriting, to write the headings on one of the boards, of the flip chart.

Gokudera, on the other hand, helped Ara in cutting the pictures. His handwriting wasn't neat at all, as a result of his impulsive behavior.

Ara hummed under her breath, causing Gokudera to glare at her several times, out of annoyance.

"Dame-Tsuna…Seems like it's going well…"said Reborn, awaking from his sleep, shocking Tsuna in the process.

Ara cheekily smiled at Reborn, before cutting the paper. Gokudera nodded, slowly at Reborn.

"I have thirty minutes left…Tomorrow let's have it at Gokudera's house…We can complete it, then…"She said, cheekily, instantly earning a glare from him.

Reborn stared blankly at her. Tsuna nodded, smiling.

"No…I think your house is better, Ara…" Reborn said, nonchalantly, lowering the tip of his fedora.

"My mom is strict about bringing visitors-"

"It's at your house, Ara…"He said, firmly, staring at her. She nodded, slowly. Tsuna stared at Reborn, suspiciously.

"Tsu-kun…Dino-san's on the phone…He wants to talk to Ara-chan…" Nana shouted from the kitchen, covering the receiver.

"Dino?"She exclaimed, enthusiastically, heading towards the kitchen.

"She knows Dino-san too?!" yelled Tsuna, meeting Reborn's bland expression.

"Her brother was friends with Dino since childhood…Dame-Tsuna…I told you…"

* * *

"Hello…Long time…Big brother…Dino…"She said, sputtering with her words.

"You can still call me big brother you know?"He said, softly, chuckling, heading towards Arlo's room. She giggled under her breath.

"Yo…Ara…Your brother wants to talk to you…"He said, gravely, staring blankly at his brown haired friend, cheekily motioning for him to hand over the phone.

"Yeah…He wants to talk to you"


	4. Truth

**A/N: Hope you like it :) Hope that you review :3**

Her smile faltered; nevertheless she forced a cheerful tone through the phone. He sighed under his breath, shaking his head slightly, before handing over the phone.

Arlo cheekily smiled at Dino, slightly sticking out his tongue while taking the phone from him. Dino chuckled.

She smiled, hearing his laugh.

Arlo raised the phone to his ear, taking a deep breath.

"Hey Ara…Still single?" He said cheekily, causing her to chuckle. Dino shook his head, slightly, laughing. Ara laughed.

"Yeah…What about you, still stupid?"

Dino stared at his friend, laughing, smiling. He felt like he was intruding, at this distant family bonding. Even though, technically speaking, they were like family to him.

He always saw Arlo as a brother, rather than his best friend. He saw Ara as a little sister, rather than his best friend's sister.

He pushed back the chair, diverting Arlo's attention towards him. Dino sheepishly, mouthed that he wanted to go to the bathroom.

"You can hold it! Now sit down…"Arlo snapped at him, causing Dino to retreat back onto his chair, with a dejected 'okay'.

"Brother…Stop bugging Dino…You will never grow up…"She said, smugly. He rolled his eyes.

"What did you want to tell me? I'm busy you know…"

"Here, Ara…This time for sure…You and mom, are coming over right…" He said, slowly, in a grave tone. She pursed her lips, slightly.

"Yeah…Of course…We were busy last holiday, that's why we couldn't come…Don't get so worked up so…We'll make it this holiday like we always do…" She said, cheekily, while he forced a smile onto his face.

Dino lowered his gaze to the ground, regretfully.

"You better…"He said slowly, biting his lower lip. She sighed under her breath, shaking her head slightly.

"Brother…What's wrong? "She asked, slowly. He forced a chuckle, before sighing.

"Nothing…Idiot…Nothing…Just make sure you get your butt here…"He said, slowly, cutting the phone call, before she could retort back.

Dino snapped his gaze towards him.

"You didn't tell her?!"

"No…I don't want her to know…Dino so don't tell her…"He said softly, staring at the wall in a daze.

"W-what makes you think that I'll tell her? You're the one who should tell her…"He sputtered, throwing his hands in exasperation.

"I don't want to tell her…And Dino don't play dumb…If I didn't tell you not to tell, you would've told her already…I was wondering how Ara knew about every new girlfriend I got…"He said, slowly, staring at Dino smugly.

Dino sputtered again.

"She made me tell…I was small then…Cut me some slack…"He muttered, a steady shade of pink dusting his cheeks, out of embarrassment.

Ara stared at the phone, in concern. She slowly placed it back, earning a questioning look from Nana.

"Ara-chan…Are you okay?"She asked, with the grin plastered across her face. Ara politely smiled back, waving her hand in dismissal.

She headed towards Tsuna's room, plopping against the floor, resuming to cut what was left. Tsuna lifted his gaze, from Reborn to her.

Gokudera lifted his gaze, from Reborn to her, as well, mirroring Tsuna.

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gokudera scoffed and turned away as, Tsuna smiled at her. She stared at them, in confusion, before shrugging her shoulders.

Reborn blankly stared at her, holding the tip of his fedora.

"What did he want?"snapped Gokudera, unable to hold in his suspicion any longer. She lifted her gaze towards him.

"Oh…My brother wanted to talk to me…He's probably at Dino's home…" She said, nonchalantly, cutting the paper.

"Your brothers not living with you?" Tsuna questioned, out of concern, curiosity.

"No…My brother is in Italy…Our family is situated there so he takes care of everything there, as the acting Don…"She said, slowly.

"So, you're Italian?" asked Tsuna, stupidly.

"Obviously…"

"How come you're in Japan then? Undercover work is that it?" spouted Gokudera, revealing his suspicions. He disgustedly inched away from the girl, who he was sitting next to a few seconds ago.

"Seriously, Gokudera? Undercover?" She said, scoffing at him, in disgust.

"Then prove your innocence…"said Reborn, nonchalantly, propping next to her.

"…I moved here when I was five with my mother…It was getting too dangerous and other stuff…My Dad kept my brother since he was the next heir to our family…Since then, I go there on school vacation, and sometimes on long weekends…I got closer to Dino and my brother mostly during those holidays…"She said, slowly.

"There…Happy…I didn't come here to kill you or harm your family, or make potential wives laugh at him…"She said, sarcastically, narrowing her eyes at them.

Reborn smirked, in amusement. Tsuna stared, sympathetically at her. Gokudera just scoffed away.

XX

Tsuna slugged his back pack over his shoulder, as he headed outside. He wondered about her. She was then, completely an ally.

She had to be. She was friends with Kyoko and Hana. She was in Namimori, for a long time, and she still hadn't tried anything.

He believed her, of course.

He just had to be sure, now that almost everyone in the mafia world knew who he was, knew who all of his guardians were.

Reborn says he trusts their family, because the Ninth does, but then why did he interrogate her last night?

But, then again, it's Reborn. He's always like that.

"Yo Tsuna!"

His head jerked instinctively, towards the caller of his voice. Yamamoto ran up to him, beside a grumbling Gokudera.

Tsuna reluctantly smiled at Yamamoto.

"Yo Tsuna…Gokudera's mumbling about Ara…Does he like her?"asked Yamamoto, grinning cheekily, much to the dismay of the blushing silver haired male.

"Are you mad, baseball freak?! I hate that woman…"

"No, Yamamoto-kun…He doesn't…Gokudera…She isn't a threat to us…"

"Ah…The mafia thing…She's nice…"Yamamoto replied smugly, laughing.

"Have you talked to her?" asked Tsuna, slowly.

"Hahaha…Yeah…No…Not that much…But people say she's nice…So…"He said, smartly, before erupting into laughter.

Gokudera's eye twitched in annoyance.

"She's definitely evil…Wait…Today I'm going to do a sweep of her house…Judaime…We have to take precautions…She maybe acting nice…"He said, quickly.

Tsuna sighed under his breath. He was getting tired of this. Gokudera and his scary ways…Wait…Did he just say that he's going to ransack her house?

"Gokudera…Definitely not…S-she's a girl and she trusted us...You can't do that to her house…"sputtered Tsuna, flailing his hands in front of him.

"Oh…You're going to her house, today? Lucky…You all are together…I'm going to Kyoko-chan's house today…"He said, chuckling in amusement.

"Kyoko-chan's?!"

"Hahaha…Yesterday she came to my house with Hana…Today we are going to her house…Tsuna, you want me to take a picture?"He said, cheerfully.

Tsuna shook his head, furiously. A light shade of pink dusted his cheeks, as he dejectedly continued to walk towards school.

XX

"I can't take this anymore...Woman…Wake up…"Gokudera whispered harshly, violently shaking her. She jerked awake, staring at him in a daze.

She sniffled lightly, before groggily rubbing her eyes.

"What do you do at night? Don't you sleep, woman?"He snapped at her, at the same time making sure that the teacher wasn't watching him.

She sleepily leaned against her palm, tucking the loose strands of her black hair, behind her ear.

"I was training and studying…"She said, slowly, through half-lidded eyes, her words slurring. He sighed under his breath, running his fingers through his silver hair.

He watched her, pitifully.

Every time, he heard about her training, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. But she was evil.

"Wait…I wasn't supposed to tell you that…God…I need to wake up…"She said, groaning in exasperation, forcing her eyes to stay open.

Judaime was probably right. If she couldn't even stay awake during the day, how could she be planning an attack against them?

Her entire family, including the subordinates was stationed in Italy. And, from the looks of the research he did last night, there were no forces stationed in Japan.

"Oi…Woman…This is important okay for the experiment tomorrow…So listen…" He said, slowly, narrowing his eyes at her.

He couldn't allow her to be the reason for Judaime's failure.

Tsuna, on the other hand, was hurriedly taking down notes. Gokudera smiled, slightly. The Tenth didn't talk to him, that much in class.

It was sad, but it was for the better good.

He was focusing on his studies, for Reborn. Reborn had told him, that he needed to pass or else. Well, even if he didn't pass, Reborn would drag him away to university, anyway.

So…double the torture, inevitably.

"Woman…"He said, turning towards her. She was now fully awake, scribbling notes of part of the explanation that she had heard.

"Tenth…Can I have the notes of the beginning?"He said, slowly. Tsuna nodded, indifferently, passing him the papers.

Gokudera collected them slowly, placing them on Ara's table.

"Here…Woman…You can't fail…Because Judaime will fail then…"He said, indifferently, focusing his gaze away from her towards the board.

The board looked very interesting right now.

She smiled, lightly; thanking him, as she placed her free hand, on the papers sprawled out on the table.

XX

"Gokudera-kun…Please be on your best behaviour…."said Tsuna, slugging his backpack over his shoulder.

"But Tenth-"

"Sorry…It took a while…"She said, leading them towards her room. Gokudera scoffed under his breath, before nonchalantly entering her room.

Tsuna smiled, politely at her, as he entered, awkwardly removing his bag, placing it on her bed.

It was bigger, that's for sure, like all the room in the mansion were. It was definitely bigger than Judaime's, but that didn't matter.

Judaime's room was perfect, in size and everything.

"Make yourself at home…I'll go get some stuff…" She said, awkwardly, rubbing her hands. Before Tsuna could protest, she left the room, heading towards the kitchen.

Gokudera, judging by the size of the house, he deduced that she would take a while.

He sprang up from the chair he was seated on, as he quickly latched close the door. Grinning maliciously, he headed towards her desk, tugging opening the drawers.

"Gokudera-kun?!"

He looked for something, anything to prove her guilty. At least a diary…What woman doesn't keep a diary?

He slammed shut the drawer, wincing at how fast he had closed it. He lifted his gaze towards her table, scattered messily with yesterday's textbooks.

Gokudera messily pulled the books, opening them to see if she had hidden anything there. His gaze wandered, catching a glimpse of a flicker of yellow.

_Deadline for project…Mustn't fail Judaime: D_

His lips tucked into a light smirk, reading the contents of the post it. Was she mocking him? Lifting her books slightly, he searched for the other possible post its.

_Pass to shut Gokudera up :3_

Now, he was seriously getting annoyed.

_Clean room before they come -_-_

He scoffed under hi s breath. Why would she need to write that down? Was she that stupid? He lifted his gaze, properly staring at her table.

It was scattered with post its.

There was one that said,_ wish Dino for his birthday_. It looked quite old.

Gokudera gritted his teeth, in annoyance. She was writing everything on these post its. The door slightly opened ajar, he quickly scrambled onto the bed, whistling casually.

She entered, holding a tray filled with tea cups, and assorted biscuits. She placed it on the floor, as they crouched next to her.

"So, do you like tea?"She said, cheekily, pointing at the tea cups.

XX

They continued to finish the flip chart, in silence.

"Well, now that's all over…What's left is the explanation…."Tsuna said, sighing under his breath. He stared triumphantly, at the completed flip chart.

"Don't worry, Judaime…I'll write the notes in short form…Just learn it and read it out tomorrow…"He said, supportively beaming at him.

"That's a good idea actually…"She said, appearing impressed, while he rolled his eyes at her. She headed towards her desk, pulling out her post its.

"Here…Use this…"She said, throwing the post it notebook onto Gokudera's lap, nonchalantly. He couldn't stop the smirk that arose, when he held it, within his fingers.

He tried to write the notes, in bullet form, neatly for the Tenth. He grinned heartily, handing over the notes to him.

Grumbling under his breath, he wrote down the notes for her, as well.

"Here, Woman…Take it…"He said, passing the note to her. She smiled at him, taking it from his hands. Tsuna sighed under his breath, smiling genuinely.

At least, for now, he got along with her…okay.

Gokudera sighed under his breath, running his fingers through his silver hair.

_Note to self: Maybe she wasn't all bad…But still she was evil._


End file.
